ES2279498T3 - USE OF ALFA-1 ANTITRIPSIN FOR THE PREPARATION OF MEDICINES FOR THE TREATMENT OF FIBROMIALGIA. - Google Patents

Abstract

Use of alpha-1 antitrypsin for the preparation of drugs for the treatment of fibromyalgia, which comprises therapeutic forms of alpha-1 antitrypsin or derivatives, administrable to humans.

Description

Use of Alfa-1 antitrypsin for the preparation of medications for treatment of fibromyalgia.

The present invention relates to the use of alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) for preparation of effective medications for the treatment of fibromyalgia (FM).

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by a chronic generalized musculoskeletal pain condition of non-articular origin. According to the classification criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) (Wolfe F et al Arthritis Rheum 1990; 33:. 160-248) the two basic for diagnosing fibromyalgia are the presence of characteristic generalized pain lasting more than three months of duration and an abnormal sensitivity to digital pressure, with an approximate force of 4 kg, at least 11 of 18 specific points, called "tender points". In addition to pain, patients frequently present with other nonspecific symptoms, including fatigue aggravated by exertion, morning stiffness, feeling of swelling and morning stiffness of the hands, difficulty falling asleep and / or non-restorative sleep, unexplained headaches, hypersensitivity to changes in temperature, anxiety, irritable bowel, etc. These symptoms help diagnosis, but are not included in the diagnostic criteria. In addition, according to the ACR, the presence of a second disease does not exclude the diagnosis of FM. The usual laboratory studies and imaging studies are generally negative or nonspecific in FM.

The sociodemographic and clinical profile that appears in studies on these patients, it is usually of women (in the 80-90% of cases) with a mean age that It ranges between 35 and 60 years, with an average time of suffering of the pain problem that ranges between 6 and 12 years, and with a history of experiences of therapeutic failures to get Relief of your symptoms.

Despite the prevalence rate of the syndrome (1.5 to 3% of the population in Europe and North America), and psychological and social cost associated with your condition, there are no clear results both in relation to its etiology, and its Pharmacotherapy.

Given the prior art explained it is clear that there is a need to find Effective medications for the treatment of fibromyalgia.

To achieve this goal, the inventor undertook research and testing of great breadth and depth that have fructified with the present invention, which is based on the use of alpha-1 antitrypsin for preparation of medicines that have proven effective in the Fibromyalgia treatment.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is a glycoprotein secreted in hepatocytes and usually present in serum and in most tissues in high concentrations, where it acts as an inhibitor of serine proteases. Apart from its activity as an antiprotease, the AAT could have a important anti-inflammatory biological function, since it is endowed with a relevant inhibitory capacity of multiple mediators of inflammation and oxidizing radicals (Brantly M. Am J Respir Cell Mol. Biol., 2002; 27: 652-654).

AAT deficiency is a disease hereditary that causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), mainly emphysema, in early stages of life Adult 30-40 years. The second most manifestation Frequent is liver disease that can affect newly Born, children and adults. Less frequent is a disease inflammatory skin called necrotizing panniculitis.

Currently they exist in the market therapeutic AAT preparations, normally obtained from human plasma, which have demonstrated their therapeutic utility in the treatment of patients with deficit of this protein.

In the course of investigations and tests carried out by the inventor, he has discovered so surprising that alpha-1 antitrypsin can be used for the preparation of effective medications in the Fibromyalgia treatment, reaching the total disappearance of the symptomatology due to said disease when the periodic infusion of medications containing Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT).

The discovery is all the more surprising, since the new therapeutic applications of medicines containing alpha-1 antitrypsin, could not be related at all to the known applications of the (AAT) which were based strictly on natural deficit compensation which was in the form of obstructive pulmonary diseases chronic (COPD) and also in inflammatory skin diseases in the form of panniculitis.

Without the inventor wishing to feel limited to no hypothesis of the way in which new drugs that contain AAT manifest in the treatment of fibromyalgia, in a non-limiting manner, it has established the hypothesis that the AAT It has an important role in the control of the inflammatory component of the skeletal perimuscular connective tissue responsible for the pain induction and physical limitation caused by fibromyalgia

For checking the effects experimentally discovered of the new drugs, the inventor has carried out tests on humans that are detailed in the following examples.

Examples

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Example 1

One patient (patient 1) was diagnosed with FM, presenting 18/18 "tender points", meeting the requirements for said disease and ruling out other pathologies that could present a symptomatology similar to fibromyalgia. This patient started therapy with intravenous infusions of AAT (60 mg / kg weekly) and surprisingly, after 2-3 infusions of AAT she experienced a progressive control of the symptoms due to FM, which was maintained while replacement therapy with AAT was performed. Subsequently, he only received replacement therapy for certain periods of time, the therapy being withdrawn between these periods of time. In the periods in which he did not receive AAT therapy, a gradual recurrence of the symptoms related to FM was verified, returning to the baseline situation after 3-4 weeks of interrupting the treatment. When the therapy with AAT was restarted, the disappearance of pain, fatigue and painful points was verified several times after 2-3 infusions of
AAT

Table 1 shows the levels of AAT (mg / dl) in the patient's serum, at baseline, after infusions of AAT, and before the next infusion.

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Example 2

One patient (patient 2) was diagnosed with FM presenting 13/18 "tender points", meeting the requirements for said disease and ruled out other pathologies that could present a symptomatology similar to fibromyalgia. This patient started therapy with intravenous infusions of AAT and at same as in the previous case (example 1), after 2-3 infusions of AAT experienced a progressive symptom control due to FM that was maintained while AAT replacement therapy was performed. Later only received intermittent replacement therapy during certain periods of time, therapy being withdrawn between these periods of weather. A gradual recurrence of the FM-related symptoms in periods when I did not receive AAT therapy. When the therapy was restarted, the disappearance of pain, fatigue and painful points at after 2-3 infusions of AAT.

Table 1 shows the levels of AAT (mg / dl) in the patient's serum, at baseline, after AAT infusion, and before the next infusion.

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Example 3

Patient 3 has a very severe FM since the age of 35 (1984), suffering from mild bronchial asthma with normal lung function. After an exhaustive study he was proposed a compassionate treatment with commercial AAT and placebo (8 doses of product: AAT, and as many placebo: physiological serum with vitamin B), to test the effect of the treatment on his FM. After signing an informed consent, it was initiated with weekly infusions of AAT (60 mg / kg / week, for 8 consecutive weeks). The patient initially presented 18 painful points over 18. From the beginning, a progressive improvement of chronic pain and fatigue could be observed, and after the 4th dose of the product the disappearance of the 18 painful points was observed along with a clear improvement in clinical symptoms The patient was initially unable to develop the elementary activities of daily life, such as washing or dressing, and needed help from third parties to wander, etc. After the fourth infusion he returned to recover lost functions, and the favorable situation was maintained while the product was infused (2 months). After the eighth dose, placebo was infused, and at 10-12 days the patient experienced a clear recurrence of generalized pain, and the recurrence of 18/18 "tender points" could be observed. The questionnaires used to assess the impact of the process on the patient were the following: the Health Assesment Questionnaire, Spanish version (Esteve-Vives J, Battle-GualdaE, Reig A : Spanish Version of the Health Assesment Questionnaire: reability, validity, and transcultural equivalency. J Rheumato 1993; 20: 2115-2122); the FIQ (on the impact of fibromyalgia on the quality of life); the Hamilton Depression Scale (with 17 items ) and the SCL-90 (Derogatis LR, Rickels K, Rock. The SCL-90 and the MMPI: a step in the validation of a new self-report scale. Br J Psychiatry 1976 ; 128: 280-289).

Table 1 shows the levels of AAT (mg / dl) in the patient's serum, at baseline, after AAT infusion, and before the next infusion.

TABLE 1

one

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Each of patients 1, 2 and 3 responded AAT treatment with a decrease or elimination of symptoms of fibromyalgia, for example, generalized pain, tiredness, "tender points". The data in Table I demonstrate that patients 1 and 2 responded to a treatment regimen in which serum AAT levels increased to about 8 times above baseline levels 24 hours after administration; while patient 3 experienced an increase about 5 times above baseline levels. The three patients experienced about 100% increase in the AAT serum above baseline levels within 7 days to the administration.

It is therefore demonstrated that by the present invention it is shown that FM patients can be effectively treated with drugs prepared based on AAT. Probably, these patients would be affected by a chronic inflammatory process of soft tissues. This inflammatory process could be the result of an abnormal imbalance between proinflammatory products (cytokines, proteases and inflammatory mediators) and biological anti-inflammatories (especially AAT). The initial agent or factor that would trigger inflammation is unknown, but it could be an infectious agent (for example HCV, HBV, Enterovirus, Borrelia burgdorferi , Mycoplasma sp, etc.) or an autoimmune process (eg, lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. .). These would cause an abnormal expression of inflammatory cytokines. Genetic, environmental and possibly hormonal factors hitherto unknown could be involved in the clinical expression of FM. The cytokines released at the level of the subcutaneous connective tissue would attract circulating leukocytes to the inflammatory focus and activate fibroblasts and tissue macrophages. Activated cells would release other cytokines, proteases and proinflammatory mediators, which would normally be controlled by natural anti-inflammatories (especially AAT). But if the burden of inflammatory mediators exceeds anti-inflammatory defenses (due to an exaggerated production), an imbalance would be generated, which would favor the development of inflammation. This inflammatory process would stimulate the skin's nocireceptors, which would send stimuli to the brain, and the stimulated cortex would generate a feeling of widespread pain. On the other hand, by efferent reflex route, nerve discharges would cause generalized spasm of skeletal muscle and vasospasm. As with other proteins, the presence of the complete molecule of Alpha-1 antitrypsin should not be necessary to obtain the expected effect. Therefore, for the treatment of FM, molecules containing a partial amino acid sequence derived from the corresponding sequence of the alpha-1 antitrypsin molecule could be useful. These molecules can be obtained by synthetic methods or by transgenic technology or by recombinant technology.

For this treatment it is estimated that one dose equal to or greater than 6 mg of AAT / kg infused with a periodicity located between 3 and 31 days would be enough. A dosage AAT preferred would be between 15 and 360 mg / kg infused with a periodicity between 3 and 31 days. One more dosage preferred would be between 25 and 60 mg / kg every week or multiples of these quantities adjusted based on the range of expected time until the next dose, in a way proportional.

The present invention relates to a method for the treatment of fibromyalgia by administering to a patient who suffers from, or is at risk of developing fibromyalgia, a therapeutically effective amount of AAT in combination with one or more pharmaceutically inert carriers. Other realizations include the administration of at least about 6 mg per kg of the patient's body mass. Depending on various factors, including the severity of symptoms, the AAT can be administered in amounts of about 15 to about 360 mg / kg According to an embodiment of the invention, the AAT is administered in amounts between 25 and 60 mg / kg every week or, multiples of these quantities adjusted according to the time interval planned until the next dose, in a proportional way.

The treatment regimen of the invention includes repeated periodic administration of AAT for the purpose of Decrease or eliminate fibromyalgia symptoms. According to one embodiment of the invention, the administration of AAT is carried out with a periodicity located between 3 and 31 days. According to another embodiment, AAT administration is repeated with a periodicity located between 7 and 21 days.

More particularly, the regimes of treatment of the present invention comprise the administration of between 15 and 360 mg of AAT per kilo of the patient's body mass and the repetition of the administration with a periodicity located between 3 and 31 days. According to another treatment regimen, the administration is carried out with a dosage of between 25 and 60 mg / kg every week or multiples of these amounts adjusted in function of the expected time interval until the next dose, in a proportional way.

Alternatively, a treatment regimen cash can be established to reach serum AAT level desired (mg / dl). For example, the data shows that a improvement in fibromyalgia symptoms when administered enough AAT to increase serum AAT level up to around 100% above baseline around 7 days following the infusion. Another embodiment of the invention It consists of a treatment regimen that includes administration of sufficient AAT to a patient suffering from fibromyalgia in which the patient's AAT level is increased up to about 100% within approximately 7 days of administration and repetition of administration so less once between approximately 3 and 31 days. Other embodiment of the invention is to administer an amount enough of AAT to a patient suffering from fibromyalgia so that the patient's AAT level be increased to about one 100% within approximately 7 days after administration and repeated administration at least once between approximately 7 and 21 days.

Similar treatment regimens have been troops in which the AAT has been administered to increase the serum levels of AAT up to about 5 times above baseline levels within 24 hours of administration. From In this way, the present invention further provides a method for the treatment that includes administration to a patient who suffer from fibromyalgia a quantity of AAT that produces levels of serum AAT up to about 5 times higher than baseline levels 24 hours after administration. Optionally, the administration is repeated once or several times at intervals of about 3 to 31 days; and can be repeated to intervals between 7 and 21 days. According to another embodiment, it administers AAT to increase serum AAT levels so less than 8 times above baseline levels at 24 hours after administration.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the AAT It can be administered by parenteral injection. When administered parenterally, the AAT is composed as a solution or suspension in a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle or carrier. As examples Suitable for such vehicles include: water for injection, sterile water for injection, and other aqueous vehicles (for example, injectable sodium chloride, Ringer's injection, dextrose injection, dextrose and injectable sodium chloride, Ringer’s injectable lactose), water miscible vehicles (eg, ethyl alcohol, alcohol polyethylene, propylene glycol); non-aqueous vehicles (for example, corn oil, cottonseed oil, oil peanut, and sesame oil). The need and selection of others excipients, preservatives, buffers, biocides, and the like are found within the capacity of ordinary experts and will depend on several factors, including the system of administration, desired shelf life, and conditions of storage and transport

Additionally, other process steps may be used to preserve, protect, or disinfect formulations of antitrypsin. See, for example, U.S. Pat. . 6,737,405 (which describes stabilizing preparations of, for example, antitrypsin, which can be pasteurized without loss of activity or denaturation); and U.S.A. . 4,440,679 (which describes a method of protein pasteurization), both are incorporated into This request as references.

Claims (6)

1. Use of Alfa-1 antitrypsin for the preparation of medications for treatment of fibromyalgia, which comprises therapeutic forms of Alpha-1 antitrypsin or derivatives, administrable to humans. 2. Use according to claim 1 in the that alpha-1 antitrypsin is purified from human plasma 3. Use according to claim 1 in the that the alpha-1 antitrypsin or the molecules that contain a partial amino acid sequence thereof are produced by synthetic, transgenic or recombinant technology. 4. Use according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising the use of plasma or other therapeutic forms containing sufficient alpha-1 antitrypsin to reach a dose equal to or greater than 6 mg of
Alpha-1 antitrypsin per kg body weight. 5. Use according to claim 4, which includes the use of plasma or other therapeutic forms that contain enough alpha-1 antitrypsin to get a dose of approximately 15 to 360 mg of Alpha-1 antitrypsin per kg of body weight. 6. Use according to claim 4, which includes the use of plasma or other therapeutic forms that contain enough alpha-1 antitrypsin to get a dose between 25 and 60 mg of Alfa-1 antitrypsin per kg of body weight.